The Creator Spotlight Podcast

This week we're joined by Suraj Kapoor, the creator of Pointer, a 10 year old 40,000 subscriber newsletter curating articles for engineering leaders. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/suraj-kapoor __ Follow Suraj Pointer: https://www.pointer.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surajkapoor/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/surajkapoor __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Suraj and Pointer 01:33 The art of curation 06:53 10 years and 40k subs later, what's changed? 08:44 Avoiding becoming a personal brand 13:35 The AI threat to curation 18:38 From side hustle to six figure business 24:25 Attracting premium advertisers 31:09 Building a high-value audience 35:29 reinvestment and experimentation 40:30 The 20 hour work week 42:39 Mastering your analytics 48:00 Identifying your most popular content 51:15 The biggest threat to aggregation content

This week we're joined by Milly Tamati, the creator of Generalist World, a community and learning platform. She is also a writer, illustrator, speaker, and consultant. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/milly-tamati __ Follow Milly Generalist World: https://www.generalist.world/links Website: https://www.millytamati.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-tamati/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalist.world __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Milly 00:01:45 Necessity of a personal brand 00:06:22 Becoming director of miscellaneous 00:14:14 Building cult-like loyalty on social media 00:18:58 How a quiz can drive subscribers 00:27:26 The playbook for building a community 00:36:41 Keeping a community active 00:46:24 Brand deals done differently 00:53:15 Digital tool workshops 00:58:57 A podcast for the community, about the community 01:05:22 Not knowing what's next is fine

This week we’re joined by Landon Huslig, the creator of Wichita Life, a local media brand covering life in Wichita through a newsletter, podcast, and Instagram. He built it as a side hustle while working full-time as an engineer. It now has a combined 50,000 followers and generates $120k+ annually. Wichita Life: https://wichitalifeict.com __ Follow Landon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/landon-huslig-5b5b006a/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/landonhuslig __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ Timestamp 00:00:00 Introducing Landon 00:01:16 The art of hand to hand combat 00:10:54 Starting a local media 00:18:43 The growth to $120k 00:25:06 How big can a local newsletter be? 00:34:27 The value of a likeminded community 00:40:39 The creator to entrepreneur spectrum 00:46:06 The difficult relationship with traditional local media 00:57:22 Building local businesses in addition to newsletter 01:01:48 The responsibility to your audience 01:04:03 Side hustle vs full time business 01:09:24 Starting a local newsletter in 2025 #creatoreconomy #podcast #newsletter

This week on Creator Spotlight we're joined by Nathan May, founder of The Feed Media, a company that helps newsletters grow with paid ads and help convert readers into revenue. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/profiles __ Join the waitlist: https://creatormasterminds.co __ Follow Nathan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-may1/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/_May_Ham The Feed: https://thefeedmedia.com __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ 00:00 Introducing Nathan May 01:21 The core principles of newsletter growth 06:33 It’s about niching down 12:31 Growing a newsletter for acquisition 18:23 Your subscriber count does not matter 23:58 Is it harder than ever to get subscribers? 31:38 The one thing AI can’t replace 37:10 Give your knowledge away for free 43:58 Podcasting is hard — why do it? 50:11 Best lessons from podcast guests 52:18 Rapid fire advice for creators #podcast #creatoreconomy #newsletter

The week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Liz Kelly Nelson. Liz is the founder of Project C, a newsletter and pre-funding collective helping mission-driven journalism creators develop sustainable business models. __ Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/liz-kelly-nelson __ RSVP to the Creator Business Summit: https://www.beehiiv.com/virtual-events/creator-business-summit __ Follow Liz Project C: https://projectc.beehiiv.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizkellynelson/ __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer __ 00:00 Redefining influencer 04:46 Journalists want to be creators 10:17 What to expect if you become a creator 16:51 The role of community in creator journalism 21:20 Is the solo creator a myth? 27:00 Culture shock at the newsletter conference 31:52 Your responsibility as a creator 36:10 Maintaining ethical standards as a solo journalist 38:16 The creator journalist world 5 years from now 40:57 Revenue breakdown 43:10 Don't make these mistakes as a creator journalist #podcast #creatoreconomy #journalism

This week Francis and Natalia are joined by sewing creator Sydney Graham (@HiSydGraham). Sydney has gained over 100k subscribers on YouTube this year and has over 600k followers across platforms. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/sydney-graham __ RSVP to the Creator Business Summit: https://www.beehiiv.com/virtual-events/creator-business-summit __ Follow Sydney YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HiSydGraham TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hisydgraham Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hisydgraham __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer Follow Natalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmperez/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/_NatmPerez __ 00:00 Introducing Sydney Graham 01:01 How to gain 100k subscribers in a year 10:46 Early days of the creator economy 15:05 The biggest creators in the sewing space 17:40 Balancing community and individuality 21:17 The best video platforms for creators right now 25:19 Why you shouldn't chase trends 31:48 Sewing content is growing - here's why 33:45 Revenue breakdown 36:51 Content creation and sewing similarities 41:12 How to build a friendly community online 45:53 Choosing the right brand partnerships 49:38 Defining your goals as a creator #podcast #creatoreconomy #sewing

This week Francis is joined by Tom Fishburne, also known as The Marketoonist. Tom is a cartoonist and marketer who turned his satirical drawings about corporate life into a sustainable business that has brought him over 500,000+ across platforms. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/tom-fishburne __ RSVP to the Creator Business Summit: https://www.beehiiv.com/virtual-events/creator-business-summit __ Follow Tom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfishburne/ Website: https://marketoonist.com Newsletter: https://marketoonist.beehiiv.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketoonist __ Links & References The Do Lecture: https://thedolectures.com/speakers/tom-fishburne/ __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tom Fishburne, The Marketoonist 01:05 How to price your work online 08:49 Humor as a leadership skill 11:45 The world of content creation in the early 2000’s 15:05 It’s not the ink, it’s the think 21:05 The importance of mimicry in creative work 23:26 How to create a recognizable style 26:36 You must be an entrepreneur in the creator economy 30:41 Email, the most valuable platform 33:16 The best platform for audience engagement 38:32 Red flags for clients 43:17 Why you shouldn’t scale your business 44:37 How to nail speaking engagements 52:25 Structuring your day for optimal creativity 57:39 Focussing on sustainability, not growth

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Tiffany Yu, the founder and CEO of Diversability, an entirely disabled-run and disabled-led social enterprise to elevate disability pride. Tiffany is also the author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto, in which she highlights the myriad ways our society discriminates against people with disabilities - and what we can do about it. Read the newsletter:https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/tiffany-yu __ Get your free ticket to The Creator Summit at https://live.mightynetworks.com __ Tiffany's Links The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: https://www.tiffanyyu.com/book LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyayu/ Website: https://www.tiffanyyu.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imtiffanyyu/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imtiffanyyu __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer Follow Natalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmperez/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/_NatmPerez __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tiffany Yu 01:01 The three levels to building a community 04:41 What is Diversability? 06:17 The breakdown of a 80k community 13:09 Key elements of a strong community 18:43 The reach of virtual communities over in-person 24:42 Influencers vs. creators 31:48 The four pillars of monetization 36:25 How the creator economy has helped the disability community 49:02 Best platforms for virality and business growth 53:57 The tenets of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto #podcast #creatoreconomy #community

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Jayde Powell, a creator, social strategist and entrepreneur. Jayde has worked in the industry for over a decade and is an expert in social strategy, previously working with brands like Apple TV, LinkedIn and Delta Airlines. As a creator, she's built a thriving, sustainable business, and currently has 28,000 followers on LinkedIn. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/jayde-powell __ Get your free ticket to The Creator Summit at https://live.mightynetworks.com __ Jayde LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydeipowell/ The Em Dash Co: https://www.theemdashco.com Website: https://www.jaydeipowell.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaydeipowell/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/jaydeipowell TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaydeipowell __ References Jayde's interview with Buffer: https://buffer.com/resources/creators-unlocked-jayde-powell/ Natalia's essay on authenticity: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/building-authentic-community __ Follow Francis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francis-zierer/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/FZierer Follow Natalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmperez/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/_NatmPerez __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Jayde 01:24 Making $50k+ in 3 months 06:39 What they don't tell you about speaking engagements 09:15 Creator Tea Talk 13:22 3 parts of approaching brand partnerships 14:49 Authenticity in the creator economy 19:15 Establishing a personal brand in 2025 24:19 The journey to 100k LinkedIn followers 30:27 The journey to $250k of revenue 34:42 All creators are entrepreneurs 42:04 How to build the self-promotion muscle 44:24 Creating unique content to stand out on LinkedIn 48:03 Building a sustainable future in the creator economy 52:56 The importance of community amongst creators 55:24 The #1 piece of advice for creators #podcast #creatoreconomy #linkedin

This week on The Creator Spotlight Podcast we're joined by Kevin Jon. Kevin is a YouTube strategist, creator, and founder of multiple media businesses. He started as a solo YouTuber, grew and sold his own channels, and now helps brands and broadcasters build profitable content on YouTube. In this episode, we dive into his playbook for growth, monetization, and turning channels into real businesses. Read the newsletter: https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/kevin-jon __ Get your free ticket to The Creator Summit at https://live.mightynetworks.com __ Kevin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinjonw/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/thekevinjon Megalomedia: @megalomedia Channel Craft: https://www.channelcraftagency.com __ 00:00:00 Who is Kevin Jon? 00:00:58 Grow your channel with The YouTube Masterplan 00:07:07 How to identify opportunities on YouTube 00:09:13 What it takes to get 1M views on YouTube 00:19:34 The difficulties of building a media empire 00:25:15 What can be learnt from traditional media 00:30:01 The most important metrics to track on YouTube 00:32:29 Building the biggest YouTube agency in the world 00:36:40 Selling a YouTube channel for $100K 00:39:20 The value of pre-production 00:41:45 Translating traditional media content to YouTube 00:44:45 From teenage YouTuber to media entrepreneur 00:50:08 Lessons from working in China: Be scrappier 00:56:43 Bullish and bearish YouTube predictions #podcast #creatoreconomy #entrepreneur